The present invention relates to a method of registering, transferring and storing information in a form which permits simple and flexible handling of information, said information consisting of items of part information which is selected among a plurality of predetermined items of part information, each of which corresponds to a predetermined bar code and each of which is stored together with the corresponding bar code in a computer and on a medium which permits reading of the bar codes by means of a bar code reader, which method comprises registering of the selected part information in that the corresponding bar codes are read by means of a bar code reader and are entered into the computer.
In recent years, a great deal of the handling of information has been computerised in many companies, authorities and institutes. This has brought many advantages such as saving of time, possibilities of rational handling of information, of producing statistics etc., but has also resulted in quite a few problems, implying that the new computer systems did not always come up to expectations.
As an example of the problems in computerised handling of information, it may be mentioned that entering information into the computer is a time-consuming operation, that an inexperienced user finds it difficult to produce and compile information from different registers, that the computer systems are inflexible and that therefore extensive modifications of the system are required as information handling routines are changed or when new routines should be introduced into the system, that different computer systems are incompatible, which makes it difficult to transfer information between different systems, and that the computer systems are unwieldy and vulnerable since all units included in the system must be connected to each other or to a central computer in which all the information is stored.
The above-mentioned problems are well known in medical service where large quantities of information are being handled and therefore computerised information handling systems have been introduced in recent years. In medical service, there is one more problem: a great deal of the information handled is classified as secret. Unfortunately, it is difficult to maintain secrecy when casebooks, tests, laboratory reports etc. are handled by many different persons who have free access to the information.
In trade, the introduction of a bar code system has simplified and improved the handling of information. Each type of goods has been given an alphanumeric designation which is available on each article in bar-coded form. Further, in the computer systems of the shops all types of goods, the corresponding bar codes and the prices are stored. When a customer buys an article, the bar code is read on the article by a bar code reader and is entered into a computer which on a customer's receipt prints the type of goods in clear, together with the price. Also stock-taking has been simplified through the introduction of the bar code system since, in this context, the type of goods and the number of goods of this type in stock are registered by bar code readers. The information thus stored in the bar code reader is then transferred to a computer for further processing.
Also in medical service, certain attempts have been made to use bar-coded information. One example is patient's cards which have been provided with bar-coded personal data which are read by a bar code reader for identifying the patient.
In patent literature, the use of bar codes for information handling purposes is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,793. This publication describes a system for handling of information in connection with trade shows and the like. Each visitor is given an identification badge stating his registration number in bar-coded form. A person's visit to a booth in the exhibition area can be registered by reading the bar code on his identification badge. To make it easier for the operators of a booth to register a visitor's request for information concerning the products or his inquiries, the most demanded product information and the most frequent inquiries can be available on a sheet of paper in both human-readable and bar-coded form. Inquiries or requests for information concerning products are then registered in that the bar code of the inquiry or the requested product information and also the bar-coded registration number on the visitor's identification badge are scanned with a bar code reader.
The systems described above solve the problem with the time-consuming input of information to a computer. However, they do not solve the other problems stated above.